Varane praises “alien” Mbappe

CAIRO – 19 July 2018: French international defender, Rafael Varane, expressed his admiration of his teammate, Kylian Mbappe’s performance at the World Cup that played a great role in France’s achievement.

"I've met some aliens, but it's the first time I've seen such a young one!” Varane told French magazine, L'Équipe.

Mbappe scored four goals, including a goal at the final against Croatia, to lead his team to achieve their second World Cup title.

Varane added: “When I talk to him about tactics, he doesn't let me finish the sentences. He understands everything so quickly."

The French defender had a stunning year achieving the Champions League title with Real Madrid and the World Cup title with the French national team.

Varane formed a strong partnership with Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti at the French defensive backline. France only conceded five goals in their seven games at the tournament.

Varane is the fourth player in football's history to have such an honor after Christian Karembeu in 1998, Roberto Carlos in 2002, and Sami Khedira in 2014.